Notary and Translation Services in Craigieburn

Craigieburn is one of the places in Melbourne where the question "where do I get this notarised?" comes up most often, because so many households here hold documents from more than one country. This guide explains how the process works for someone living in Craigieburn: who can do what, where you have to go, and when you can skip the notary altogether.

Craigieburn and the City of Hume

Craigieburn is a suburb in Melbourne's outer north, in the City of Hume. The council describes the municipality as within a 30-minute drive of Melbourne's CBD, a 45-minute train ride from Flinders Street Station, and five to 20 minutes' drive from Melbourne Airport.

The council's Hume Global Learning Centre – Craigieburn houses the Craigieburn Library, a gallery and exhibition space, and one of the council's customer service centres.

The 2021 Census counted 65,178 people in Craigieburn, with a median age of 32. Fewer than half (47.1%) were born in Australia. The next largest birthplaces were India (13.5%) and Iraq (9.5%), followed by Sri Lanka, New Zealand and Pakistan. The most common languages spoken at home, other than English, were Punjabi (10.9%), Arabic (8.0%), Assyrian Neo-Aramaic (4.8%), Turkish (4.2%) and Chaldean Neo-Aramaic (4.0%). Nearly two-thirds of households (63.6%) use a language other than English.

Those figures explain the notary and translation questions people in Craigieburn tend to have.

Places to go and things to do

• Splash Aqua Park and Leisure Centre, the council's leisure centre in central Craigieburn.
• Craigieburn Festival, a council-run community festival. The 2026 festival has just been held.
• Hume Community Market, which runs in Craigieburn and Greenvale.
• galgi ngarrk (Craigieburn Grassland), about 400 hectares of nationally significant native grassland in neighbouring Epping and Wollert. Its name means "back bone" in Woi-wurrung. Parks Victoria keeps it closed to visitors to protect it. The council's Metrolink Circuit Reserve next door is open.
• Elsewhere in Hume, the council lists URBNSURF, Woodland Historic Park and several local markets among its main attractions.

What people in Craigieburn usually need

Translations. Documents in Punjabi, Arabic, Assyrian or Chaldean, such as birth and marriage certificates, police certificates and school records, often need an English translation for an Australian agency. For Australian government use, the translator should hold NAATI credentials. The NAATI Online Directory lets you search for certified translators by language and location. Check it before you assume a certified translator exists in a less common language pair. For a document going overseas, the authority receiving it decides whose translation it accepts.

Documents from India or Iraq for use in Australia. Generally these are authenticated in the country that issued them, not here. An Australian notary cannot vouch for a foreign registry's certificate.

Australian documents going to India, Iraq or elsewhere. This is where a notary and DFAT come in. Whether you need an apostille or embassy legalisation depends on whether the destination country belongs to the Hague Apostille Convention. Check the HCCH status table on the day you apply. Our India page covers that country. For Iraq, confirm with the Iraqi Embassy which chain it requires.

Getting a document notarised and legalised from Craigieburn

1. Ask the receiving authority exactly what it wants: an original, a notarised copy, an apostille, or embassy legalisation. DFAT says it cannot answer this for you, and many overseas authorities do not ask for legalisation at all.
2. Check whether you need a notary at all. DFAT can legalise original Australian public documents directly, such as a Victorian birth certificate, a national police check or a court document. Confirm with DFAT before you rely on that. Laminated or altered certificates are not accepted.
3. If you do need a notary, look for one in Victoria through the Society of Notaries of Victoria's find-a-notary listing. The Supreme Court of Victoria appoints public notaries. Take the original document and photo ID. A notary cannot work from a scan or photocopy.
4. Lodge with DFAT. Only DFAT issues apostilles and authentications in Australia. From Craigieburn, the in-person option is the Australian Passport Office in Melbourne, by appointment only, and someone else can attend for you. You can also send documents by registered post to DFAT's Authentications Section at its Melbourne or Sydney GPO box (addresses on Smartraveller), with a self-addressed registered post envelope for their return.

DFAT does not publish a fixed processing time. It says demand peaks at the end of the school year and in holiday periods.

When a JP is enough

A Justice of the Peace is a free volunteer witness for Australian purposes. If your document is going to the Department of Home Affairs, for example a certified copy for a visa application, a JP or another authorised person is usually enough, and you do not need a notary. Victoria's Department of Justice lists JPs you can book and document signing stations you can walk into.

A JP's certification is not accepted overseas and cannot be apostilled. If the document is leaving Australia, start with a notary or with DFAT directly.

Frequently asked questions

Is there a notary public in Craigieburn? We do not list individual notaries. Use the Society of Notaries of Victoria's listing to find the nearest one, and ask when you book whether they handle your type of document.

Can I get an apostille in Craigieburn? No. Only DFAT issues apostilles. The nearest counter is the Melbourne passport office, by appointment, or you can lodge by registered post.

My document is in Assyrian. Who can translate it? Search the NAATI Online Directory for that language. If the translation is for an overseas authority, ask that authority first what it accepts.

Do I need a notary for my visa application? Usually not. Home Affairs generally accepts copies certified by an authorised person such as a JP. Check the instructions for your visa subclass.